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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · capital · field · charge · bulb · prune · stem · content

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. charge — a price
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — for sport
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. content — happy
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stem — to come from
  15. capital — a city
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. charge — in control
  18. content — the amount
  19. bulb — for light
  20. charge — electricity
  21. dip — to sink
  22. field — farmland
  23. bulb — for light
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com